Products of the Month - October

Recently, IMPO Pro Melissa Street went to Europe for 14 days to work with a very special client.  During her European tour, which closely resembled the National Lampoon Chevy Chase movie, she experienced several filming challenges, including weather that went from sweltering (in Tunisia) to freezing rain (Marseilles, France) and everything in between.

So, which products did this Pro turn to help conquer travel dehydration, sleeplessness, dry and frizzy hair, perspiration issues, skin irritations, chapped lips and one or two swanky dinners with a cruise ship captain?

Ladies and Gentleman…The Products of the Month for October:

Jan Marini Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant SPF 30 – Melissa knows she preaches about this product, but it is only because it really works!  This is a non-greasy sunscreen that is actually good for your face!  Melissa uses this personally, professionally and in place of primer.

Embryolisse Exfoliating Care Cream – this product gently removes impurities and dead cells leaving the complexion fresh and radiant.  Perfect for travel and to revitalize tired, dehydrated skin.

SAMPAR Prodigal Pen – this product will treat and reduce the appearance of skin imperfections such as pimples/blemishes, irritations, bacteria and assists in healing insect bites, razor burn, etc.  A makeup artist must have!

Bed Head Let’s Get Tropical – this body oil treats and rehydrates the skin after long exposure to the sun.  Contains coconut, avocado and sunflower oils, as well as aloe vera.  Gives skin an amazing all-over, healthy glow.

Tara Smith Base Coat Serum – you prep your face with primer before makeup, so prime your hair before styling!  Totally organic and vegan, this product helps protect your hair, hydrates and provides a nutritional supplement for a good hair foundation.

L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray – this product is the legendary hairspray of choice for red carpet events, photo shoots, film and television sets because it is so fine that it will disappear at the stroke of a brush.  Won’t way the hair down and has amazing holding power!

Prairie Dawn 100% Natural Lip Balm – this lip balm is more like a lip treatment!  Goes on smoothly and keeps lips moisturized.  Great to use as a lip primer prior to application of lipstick.  Comes in 4 luscious flavors!  Melissa’s favorite is Sweet Orange.  Psst! Check out IMPO's first contest thanks to Prairie Dawn! Details below under Pro Contest (scroll all the way down to the end of the post)!

Hakuhodo Brushes – renowned in the beauty industry as the best in brushes, this line features premium bristles and first-rate craftsmanship.  Melissa refuses to work without this brush line.

CoverFX Big Cover Up Set – traveling with multiple products in individual packaging can be frustrating, but the geniuses at CoverFX have solved that problem!  This 5- piece kit not only achieves total coverage of minor to major complexion issues, it comes with a foundation brush and instructional DVD too!  Melissa used this kit on stage, on camera and for all personal appearances!

CoverFX Conceal FX Camouflage Concealer – this product instantly erases under eye circles and dark spots as well as, redness, sun damage, tattoos, birthmarks, trauma and moles.  A little goes a long way and because it comes in 6 shades you can easily find your exact skin tone match!

Youngblood Cosmetics Artiste 2 Nude Awakening Palette – as a Pro MUA travel is a must, but Melissa hates packing individual colors, it’s just impractical and can be very messy if something breaks.  This palette has all the essential colors for day and night!  It’s a one-stop-shop!

Smashbox Brow Tech To Go – IMPO raved about this product last month, but this product is worth another mention.  Brow Tech is so longwearing and waterproof that it lasted all day through long hours of filming and into the night for a personal appearance and dinner! No need for touch up!

Senna Cosmetics Lip Sync – this is a Pro MUA’s dream!  Lipstick and coordinating lip gloss all in one component!  Gotta love Eugenia Weston for inventing this amazing product!  Incredibly pigmented with tons of staying power, these lip colors are all you need.  Melissa’s favorite colors:  Stunning and A La Mode, but the good thing about owning all 4 sets is that you can mix and match.  Oh and did we mention that this product is formulated with collagen?  Excellent lip plumping power!

MAI Couture Blotting Papier – this product is incredible because it is a bronzer and a blotting paper in one.  Gives a light shimmer while controlling and absorbing oil.  Leaves a warm, sun-kissed glow on the skin.  Melissa also used the Rejuvenate Oil Blotting Papier in Lavender scent for removing excess shine without adding more makeup to her client’s face.  The soothing lavender scent is very calming and refreshing without being overpowering.

Lifewave Y Age Glutathione Patch – Melissa uses this product personally and was introduced to this technology through a client.  Daily, Melissa is asked about her personal skincare regime and because she feels that having good skin is not just about the products she uses on the outside, it’s also about how she treats her body on the inside, she felt it necessary to share this patch technology with our readers.

Here is a little information; Glutathione functions in our body as a master antioxidant that prevents damage to important cellular components caused by free radicals.  Basically, this patch technology slows down and can help improve the signs of aging by neutralizing free radicals that cause skin damage.  It has been clinically proven to help minimize fine lines and wrinkles, as well as improve overall health. As we age, Glutathione levels start to decline and many scientists now believe that how long we live is directly proportional to how high our Glutathione levels are.

In all fairness, Melissa is a distributor with Lifewave, but for the sole purpose of purchasing these patches at wholesale cost.  If you would like more information, feel free to click on the link or visit Suzanne Somers' website at www.suzannesomers.com.  You can also read about this incredible, nontechnology in her book Knockout.  This is a personal product of Melissa’s and is not sold to any business clients on set, nor is this mention intended to generate distributors for the Lifewave organization.

Pro Contest:

Thanks to Prairie Dawn Natural Body Products for providing us with our first IMPO/Twitter contest!  Be our 1,500 follower on Twitter and the Pros will send you two of each flavor of Prairie Dawn’s Natural Lip Balm (8 lip balms total)!  Click here and start following – Good Luck!

Photo credit: Makeup by: Ayami - Photography by: Rankin for Sightsavers 

The Makeup Show 2011 - Los Angeles

The Pros are excited to attend this year's The Makeup Show on February 26th and 27th at the California Market Center in Los Angeles.  This event is a highlight that we look forward to each year because it is a gathering of some of the top Pros in our industry.  The mentors we turn to for advice, collaboration and continuing education will all be in attendance.

We have been attending this event for the past 4 years now both in New York and Los Angeles and this year we are excited to catch up with fellow artists that are representing some of the biggest brands in professional artistry and to discover new techniques that can take our makeup skills to the next level.

The Pros will also be attending the Blogger Preview Party and a reception honoring Maurice Stein, who is a legend in our industry having worked with many top celebrities, Grammy award winners and three US Presidents!  He is also the owner of Cinema Secrets, which is a cosmetics, hair and special effects supply store located in Los Angeles that provides product to every major studio, professional makeup artist, hair artist, celebrity, as well as the general public.  If Cinema Secrets doesn't carry it, it doesn't exist!

The Makeup Show Los Angeles is also the place to learn to become a makeup artist directly from the best in the business or if you already are a Pro, fine tune or learn a new skill that will boost your marketability.  This year top artists from Make Up For Ever will inspire you with their incredible workshops, as well as attend Makeup 101 with Orlando Santiago or Airbrush 101 with Myles O'Reilly.

Interested in the editorial industry?  Then attend Understanding Photo with Jon Hennessy or for bridal artists, you won't want to miss The Modern Bride seminar with Jo Levy for Becca Cosmetics. Legendary artist, Eugenia Weston will be demonstrating the art of perfecting eyebrows in her Master Workshop-The Art of Brows and Kathy Aragon will be conducting a workshop on achieving Essential Eye looks.

Need to be schooled on hair?  Guru Daven Mayeda will be teaching Basic Hair Styling for Makeup Artists this year and will show you how to maximize your career by understanding hair products, principals and fundamental techniques.  Danessa Myricks will show you how to achieve a perfect canvas in her hands-on workshop Perfect Skin and Joanna Schlip will be conducting a Master Workshop on how to achieve Everyday Hollywood Beauty.

Are you a makeup artist interested in getting into the local Union 706?  Then don't miss Susan Cabral Ebert's seminar called State of the Union.  Susan will tell you exactly what you need to do to become a makeup artist on Union film and television shows. Michael DeVellis for The Powder Group will help you learn how to capture long term success in his Marketing Your Career Now seminar and you must attend Women In The Industry with legends Eugenia Weston, Eve Pearl, Crystal Wright, Joanna Schlip and Danessa Myricks as they walk you through what it takes to to become a brand creator, bridal and beauty artist or Department Head on major television and motion pictures.

Esteemed artist Pati Dubroff, whose worked has graced the magazines of Vogue, Vanity Fair, W, InStyle and Harper's Bazaar and who is called on by A-List Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore, Drew Barrymore and Gisele Bundchen, will be on hand to demonstrate and share many secrets on how to become a successful celebrity artist in her workshop Making Up.

For a list of all education opportunities - click here!

As if this wasn't enough, all the major industry brands will be on hand for discount shopping and demonstration directly at their booths. Exhibitors include: Alcone, BeautySoClean, Cinema Secrets, Crown Brush, Dermalogica, Dinair Airbrush, Embryolisse USA, Eve Pearl, Face Atelier, Frends Beauty Supply, Graftobian, Hakuhodo USA, Inglot Cosmetics, Kett Cosmetics, Kevyn Aucoin, Make Up Designory, Make Up For Ever, Mehron, Naked Cosmetics, Naimies Beauty Center, Nigels Beauty Emporium, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Senna Cosmetics, Smashbox, Stila Cosmetics, Temptu PRO, Yaby Cosmetics, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics and Yves Saint Laurent, just to name a few.

For a complete list of exhibitors - click here!

The Pros are looking forward to interviewing renowned makeup artist, Victoria Stiles and Liz Yu owner and creator of Yaby Cosmetics!  We also can't wait to catch up with our YouTube friends Koren Zander from EnKoreMakeup and Eleesa from PurseBuzz because these two always have their fingers on the pulse of what is bigger, better and happening in the makeup industry!

On the Main Floor, we can't miss Academy Award Winning Makeup Artist, Ve Neill as she talks about the new SyFy show, Face Off! Ve is a judge on the show and she will takes us on a behind-the-scenes look in her seminar Face Off: Inside the SyFy Reality Show on Sunday.

We will definitely be stocking up on our disposable supplies because the discounts offered from industry stores like Alcone, Cinema Secrets, Frends, Naimes and Nigel's can't be beat!  So if you need sponges, puffs, mascara wands, brush cleaner or even if you need empty palettes, we highly recommend purchasing them at this event!

There is still time to get advanced tickets to this event - click here and if you see any of the IMPO Pros at The Makeup Show, make sure to say hello!  We would love to meet you!  See you there!